Liberal Party dodges a bullet

I'm willing to bet that most of us, especially the Tories among us, only recall a recent and embarassing period of relatively recent Canadian history as though it were a rather surreal dream or nightmare.  Yes: I am indeed talking about the time of Stockwell Day.  It seems so distant and bizarre now, but I remember when newspapers all the way through TV promoted him as enthusiastically as a spammer touting PeNNi ST0X.  From embarassing, obsequious glamour photo shoots to fawning interviews to the grotesque but hardly unusual effusions of Ezra Levant ("stockaholic!"), we were treated to images of this dashing (huh?) sportsmanly conservative, ready to reinvigorate poor old Manning's dead-end party and bring it to the pinnacles of political power.

And not whispered but shouted was the absurdly earnest comparison of Day's obviously forced vigor and playfulness to that of one P. E. Trudeau, as though by wishing loudly enough it would make it so. 

One practically hear the Liberals covering their mouths with their hands and choking while trying to stifle giggles. "Oh please,. oh please," they prayed as quietly as they could, and their dreams came true: he was selected leader of the Reform Party or whatever transparently dishonest nominal variation they had invented at the time.  Then when it came time for an election, the Liberals gleefully opened Warren Kinsella's little cage, and the rest is history.

I basically agree with Kevin's assessment here.  It's bizarre enough that the Liberal Party almost fell into such a transparent trap as is embodied by The Ig.  At least Stockwell Day had a base: wingnutty troglodytes on one side and the more conservative wing of resentment-laden alienated Westerners on the other, as I recall.  Who was Iggy's base?  Were they thinking that Iggy could court the massive pontificating sophist vote? 

The real sign of political emptiness is when you major selling point happens to look like this: "The next politician X!"  It's even more obviously bad when X happens to be PET.  As Day, absurdly, was to be the heir of Trudeau's fun-loving side, so The Ig was supposed to be the heir of Trudeau's intellectual side.  If that's your major selling point, it's a sure sign that you have nothing to offer than a weak comparison to the memory of a dead politician.  And it became painfully obvious when Iggy brought up the Matter of Québec but couldn't follow through.  Too soft, too easy, too empty.  No wonder that there was an "anybody but Iggy" movement, and the Liberal Party should breathe a sigh of relief that it won.

Comments

[skdadl]

Heh -- I hadn't thought of the comparison with Day, but it is apt, ah, morphologically, could we say? And besides, it would annoy Ignatieff boosters. ;-)

[AradhanaD]

I think out of the three forerunners, dion was the best bet... but I went to a party after this vote was in, everyone kind of agreed that he really lacks 'finesse'. I'm sure a few months in liberal charm school can fix that. :) I think Iggy and Rae would have been political suicide really. Too much past history (non history with Iggy) - they would be the perfect targets for effective smear campaigns.

[AradhanaD]

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